Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas is a small, mixed-denomination liberal, volunteer-run congregation that serves as the focal point for Jewish life in the Fayetteville, Arkansas
area. While Temple Shalom is an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism
, as the only Jewish congregation in Fayetteville, Temple Shalom supports a variety of activities and services for Jews of all backgrounds.
In March 1981, Rabbi Norbert L. Rosenthal, emeritus rabbi of Temple Israel
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
was invited to serve as the first rabbi. At the consecration ceremony on April 25, 1981, the new board officers were installed. Temple Shalom arranged to use the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hall for monthly services. Weekly Religious School, organized and conducted by parent volunteers took place at the Sam Barg Hillel House at 607 Storer. Lay leader
s conducted weekly Friday night services.
Hillel
began leasing a building from the University at 608 N. Storer Avenue in Fayetteville. Temple Shalom leased space in this larger building. Larger gatherings continued to take place at the neighboring Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Religious School was held every Sunday morning.
In 2004, when Temple Shalom was growing out of that building, some members from the Rogers and Bentonville area decided to form a new congregation in Bentonville, Congregation Etz Chaim, temporarily easing the need for Temple Shalom to move again to a bigger facility.
By 2005, Temple Shalom had again grown enough to need its own building. The membership included nearly 60 families. There were about 30 children attending Religious School, several of whom became Bar and Bat Mitzvah each year. The project to acquire a building for Fayetteville's first synagogue was launched headed by the synagogue's president. Certain members proposed donating seed money for the project. The temple briefly considered buying and renovating an E. Fay Jones house, but those plans fell through.
In 2006, local builder, Fadil Bayyari, a Palestinian
Muslim
from Springdale, Arkansas
proposed to build a new building for Temple Shalom at his cost, a savings of an estimated 20% of the total cost of the project. Mr. Bayyari's offer spurred much interest in the local and national press.
In 2007 Temple Shalom purchased a little less than an acre of land at the corner of Sang Avenue and Cleveland Street to create a combined Temple Shalom and University of Arkansas Hillel home and to house a multicultural library.
On October 14, 2007, there was a ground breaking ceremony attended by religious leaders from a wide variety of faith traditions. Later that month, the former Sam Barg Hillel House at 607 Storer was sold to the University of Arkansas. The leased UA building at 608 Storer continues to serve until the new building is built and becomes habitable.
Lay leader
s from the community also played a prominent role. In 2006, University of Arkansas professor of philosophy Jacob Adler, having newly acquired his rabbinical ordination, became the first resident rabbi. Temple Shalom holds monthly Friday evening Shabbat
services, led by Rabbi Adler and weekly Religious School during the school year led by parents and other volunteers from the local Jewish community.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
area. While Temple Shalom is an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
, as the only Jewish congregation in Fayetteville, Temple Shalom supports a variety of activities and services for Jews of all backgrounds.
Early history
On January 21, 1981 about 30 people attended a meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas with Rabbi Lawrence Jackofsky of the Southwest Council, Union of American Hebrew Congregations of Dallas. An overwhelming majority of those present favored the establishment of a Jewish congregation. On February 23, 1981 the congregation was formed and named Temple Shalom.In March 1981, Rabbi Norbert L. Rosenthal, emeritus rabbi of Temple Israel
Temple Israel (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation located at 2004 East 22nd Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1914, the synagogue affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1915, and constructed its first building on South Cheyenne Street in 1919...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
was invited to serve as the first rabbi. At the consecration ceremony on April 25, 1981, the new board officers were installed. Temple Shalom arranged to use the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hall for monthly services. Weekly Religious School, organized and conducted by parent volunteers took place at the Sam Barg Hillel House at 607 Storer. Lay leader
Lay leader
A lay leader is a member of the laity in any congregation who has been chosen as a leader. Since lay leadership is not an ordained clerical office, the lay leader's responsibilities vary according to the particular tradition to which he or she belongs...
s conducted weekly Friday night services.
Building history
In 1999, the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Hillel
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally...
began leasing a building from the University at 608 N. Storer Avenue in Fayetteville. Temple Shalom leased space in this larger building. Larger gatherings continued to take place at the neighboring Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Religious School was held every Sunday morning.
In 2004, when Temple Shalom was growing out of that building, some members from the Rogers and Bentonville area decided to form a new congregation in Bentonville, Congregation Etz Chaim, temporarily easing the need for Temple Shalom to move again to a bigger facility.
By 2005, Temple Shalom had again grown enough to need its own building. The membership included nearly 60 families. There were about 30 children attending Religious School, several of whom became Bar and Bat Mitzvah each year. The project to acquire a building for Fayetteville's first synagogue was launched headed by the synagogue's president. Certain members proposed donating seed money for the project. The temple briefly considered buying and renovating an E. Fay Jones house, but those plans fell through.
In 2006, local builder, Fadil Bayyari, a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
from Springdale, Arkansas
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
proposed to build a new building for Temple Shalom at his cost, a savings of an estimated 20% of the total cost of the project. Mr. Bayyari's offer spurred much interest in the local and national press.
In 2007 Temple Shalom purchased a little less than an acre of land at the corner of Sang Avenue and Cleveland Street to create a combined Temple Shalom and University of Arkansas Hillel home and to house a multicultural library.
On October 14, 2007, there was a ground breaking ceremony attended by religious leaders from a wide variety of faith traditions. Later that month, the former Sam Barg Hillel House at 607 Storer was sold to the University of Arkansas. The leased UA building at 608 Storer continues to serve until the new building is built and becomes habitable.
Clergy
Until 2006, Temple Shalom was served by a variety of visiting rabbis, student rabbis, and cantors, who made monthly visits to Fayetteville during the academic year.Lay leader
Lay leader
A lay leader is a member of the laity in any congregation who has been chosen as a leader. Since lay leadership is not an ordained clerical office, the lay leader's responsibilities vary according to the particular tradition to which he or she belongs...
s from the community also played a prominent role. In 2006, University of Arkansas professor of philosophy Jacob Adler, having newly acquired his rabbinical ordination, became the first resident rabbi. Temple Shalom holds monthly Friday evening Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
services, led by Rabbi Adler and weekly Religious School during the school year led by parents and other volunteers from the local Jewish community.
External links
- Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas
- A Temple Of Peace
- Wikimapia
- Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas is at coordinates 36.073973°N 94.189321°W